


Crowd-Sourced Love

by PeaceLilies



Series: The Social Media Series [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: First Date, M/M, SHIRO HAS DIMPLES, Shiro is an event planner, Social Media, crowd sourcing / internet sleuthing, keith has piercings, keith is a painter, meet cute, modern day/current day au, nye kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:22:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28550823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeaceLilies/pseuds/PeaceLilies
Summary: Shiro meets a mysterious, handsome stranger at a NYE party and a kiss at midnight leads them both down the path to true love in a bit of an unorthodox way
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Series: The Social Media Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2084220
Comments: 20
Kudos: 66





	Crowd-Sourced Love

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to @tinycoffeebreak for this inspiration and for @benicemurph's husband for coming up with the title for this piece!! 
> 
> This was a cute lil thing to write as a companion piece for This One's For You.

Just because he was a good party planner, didn’t necessarily mean that he enjoyed the parties he planned. He had to be there and make sure that everything went smoothly, and that often required having to take care of drunk people and make sure hangry people got their food. 

It was coordination, hours on his feet, delegating, and dealing with being treated like a servant. It wasn't his favorite...but it paid well and he had a nearly perfect track record of excellent events. Very few complaints. 

This year was no different. 

UTube had hired the company he worked for to plan their New Year's Eve party, hosting their Top 20 UTubers and their guests. It was a large party. Tons of food, alcohol, a fireworks show, and a performance set for several of the UTubers who performed, as well as a guest appearance by pop princess Allura Altea. 

He wasn’t very keen on being surrounded by all these people in their early 20’s who were drinking excessively and not eating enough and just being generally rowdy. But...the party itself ended up being pretty tame. 

As Shiro walked the space, he was surprised to see people chatting, getting to know each other, exploring one another’s interests. He had been asked to set up some areas for people to paint or build or any other number of things so people could watch live demos. 

It was actually pretty cool. 

Shiro stopped to watch one person, a guy in dark clothes, with dark hair, and in a paint mask, create gorgeous pieces of art, with cans of spray paint. It wasn’t graffiti...it was complex, beautiful landscapes, mostly of space or otherworldly themes. They were gorgeous and the guy moved with such elegance and assurance as he went. 

Shiro wouldn’t have minded sticking around, but he had other duties to attend to. 

As the night was winding down, he busied himself with making sure that everything for the New Year’s Eve countdown was all set. Allura looked gorgeous and was such a lovely person to work with. She was very down to Earth and Shiro appreciated that she had no problem telling her loud, overeager agent that she could handle things on her own. 

With Allura all taken care of and everything else running smoothly and on track, Shiro snuck away to the balcony with a glass of champagne (courtesy of his friend and excellent bartender, Matt), intending to watch the fireworks before going back to work to make sure that Allura’s performance went well, that all the guests left in one piece, and then coordinate clean up. 

He leaned against the wall at the far end of the balcony, sighing to himself, and checked his watch. Ten minutes until midnight. He sipped delicately at his champagne, reflecting on his year. It hadn’t necessarily been the best...but there were some positives. 

He was...content. Perhaps not necessarily _ happy _ , but that was okay. It was the start of a new year and things could only go up from here. He took another sip of bubbly, looking up at noticing that he wasn’t alone on the balcony. 

The spray paint artist, sans his mask, stood about six feet from him, a glass of champagne in hand. He lifted his glass at Shiro, a smile on his face, and Shiro smiled back, holding up his glass. 

  
“Sorry if I’m interrupting,” the guy said. His voice was husky, pleasant, and Shiro couldn’t help letting his eyes trail from the top of his head, with the cute little cowlick, down to his dark army boots. 

He was rugged looking, messy inky hair that fell to his shoulders, a scar on his cheek, a septum piercing, and big, dark eyes. He was fairly tall, a bit shorter than Shiro, strong looking, if his exposed biceps were anything to go by. 

“Not at all,” Shiro replied, “I wouldn’t mind the company actually. I saw you painting before. You’re very good.” 

The guy shrugged, smiling a little. 

“Thanks. I enjoy doing it, so, feeling very lucky to get paid to do something I love.” 

Shiro nodded in agreement, smiling over the lip of his champagne flute. 

“Cheers to that.” 

The guy took a sip of his own champagne, dark lashes lowering over his eyes. 

“You here alone?” 

Shiro nodded. 

“You?”

The guy nodded. He came closer and it was easier for Shiro to pick out his features better. His eyes were a deep color, blue, almost purple. There were flecks of paint over his shirt and jeans, but it didn’t detract from his attractiveness. 

Shiro smiled and looked at his watch. 

“Five minutes to midnight,” he murmured and the guy smiled back, his expression almost sultry. His lips looked soft, plush, and Shiro was surprised to find himself thinking that he wouldn’t mind giving this guy a nice smooch when the clock hit midnight. 

It seemed that maybe he had the same idea. He sidled closer, boldly sneaking a finger under Shiro’s suit jacket, and wrapping his index finger around his belt loop. Shiro cocked an eyebrow, watching the guy move into his space. 

“Would you mind a kiss?” he asked and Shiro smiled, feeling himself blush. 

“Not at all.” 

“Good. You’re very handsome. I’m surprised you’re here all by yourself.” 

Shiro shrugged, chuckling.

“I could say the same about you…”

They both looked up at hearing the countdown starting and then looked back at each other, laughing. 

“Do you always do this sort of thing?” Shiro asked. 

The guy shook his head. 

“Nope.” 

“Me neither…”

People started cheering and yelling ‘Happy New Year.’ Shiro leaned in, kissing the guy gently. It wasn’t a lewd kiss, which surprised him. It was soft, curious, an almost tender greeting before they pulled away. 

Shiro smiled and the guy smiled back. He opened his mouth to speak but Shiro’s phone started ringing. That was never a good sign. 

“Oh...crap. I’m so sorry, I have to take this,” Shiro said, the guy watching him, looking a bit surprised. Shiro gave him an apologetic look, answering his phone. 

“Mr. Shirogane, sir, we have a situation,” said Iverson, one of the security guards they had hired, “there are some intoxicated individuals here who are trying to enter the party and are resisting our efforts to prevent them from entering the premises.”

“I’m so, so sorry. I have to go and take care of this,” he said to the guy, Iverson still speaking to him on the other end of the line. He left the balcony in a rush, hoping to deal with the situation smoothly, and maybe meet up with the handsome stranger before he left. 

But it was not to be…

*************************************************************************************************************

Keith stared longingly at the polaroid in his hand. It was a pretty excellent picture. Himself, and the mystery man he’d met on the balcony, the New Year’s Eve fireworks going off in the background. They were mid kiss, highlighted by the fireworks going off in the background.

The person who had managed to catch the shot had come up to him and offered it, saying, “for you and your man.” 

Keith’s heart beat with longing. He _ wished _ that mystery balcony man was his. He’d been the best part of that party. 

Keith hadn’t had any intention of meeting anyone at the party, figuring he might as well go because he got the invitation. Lance had been more excited about it than he was, mainly because Allura Altea was going to be performing, and Hunk was his supportive self. 

Keith didn’t have many friends, but the ones he did have, though sometimes annoying (*cough* Lance *cough*) were great. They had helped him get started with UTube, encouraging him to expand on his art, and it had paid off. 

He’d talked to them both about what had happened that night and he was seriously considering Lance’s suggestion. 

_ Why not ask your followers to help? You have so many of them, either someone knows the guy, or someone can find him online. _

The idea of crowd-sourcing to find his Mystery Guy was appealing, if also somewhat invasive? 

But this guy probably had some public profiles that anyone could find, no harm, no foul. He didn’t want this guy’s social security number or anything...he just wanted to see if he could get his name and maybe a date? 

So he started planning for his next video. 

He decided to do a night scene, fireworks, similar to that night. Sentimental, sure, but he was feeling romantic. 

Hunk helped him set up, as per usual, and he took his time, wanting the piece to be perfect. There wasn’t a small chance that Mystery Guy would see the video, too, which would be even better than relying on his followers to find the guy. 

Keith took his time with the painting. The video would be edited and sped up, but in real time, it felt nice to lose himself in his art. When the painting finished, it was time for the final touch. 

Keith took off his mask, coming closer to the camera. He pulled the polaroid out of his pocket. 

“Hey everyone. I know this isn’t on brand, but I need your help. On New Year’s Eve, I met someone at a party. I didn’t get a chance to get his name or anything, just a picture someone had managed to snap of us. I’d love to find this guy...just to ask him on a date...or at least thank him for the kiss. Here’s the picture. We’ll have an up-close copy of it at the end of the video. If you are this guy or if you know him...I’d love to just...yeah, say thank you, maybe take you, uh, him... on a date. Totally voluntary. Anyway, yeah. Click the link below to follow and subscribe and I’ll keep an eye out on my inbox.” 

Hunk gave him a thumbs up and they ended the recording. 

With some proper editing, the video looked as good as Keith was expecting. He was never great with talking...but he wanted to at least know who the handsome stranger was and he hoped this worked.

*************************************************************************************************************

Shiro looked at his phone as it vibrated in his pocket. 

_ Matt🚀 [4:30:55PM]: Dude...you should see this... _ [ _ https://www.utube.com/watch?v=ty5z… _ ](https://www.utube.com/watch?v=ty5z%E2%80%A6)

Shiro texted him back, asking if it was some sort of spam, but Matt replied back quickly, insisting. He furrowed his brow, placing down his fork, munching on some romaine drenched in caesar dressing, and clicked on the link. 

It was one of the painter guy’s videos, the guy from New Year’s. Weird. Shiro had mentioned what had happened to Matt and Matt had told him that the guy’s name was Keith Kogane and he was a pretty well-known painter, with a large following on UTube. 

Shiro hadn’t watched any of his videos, not really having much time, but it was nice to know who the guy was that had kissed him. He treasured the memory, but wasn’t going to go about making himself known. He was a nobody and he doubted that this guy, Keith, would want to bother with him. 

But all of that was changed by the time Shiro got to the end of the video, to find that...this guy had been looking for him. And apparently someone had found him. He had requested that Shiro’s name and information be kept secret, which he supposed it had, and that Keith was going to reach out directly. 

The video had been posted forty-five minutes ago. 

Shiro texted Matt back, all in caps, freaking out a little. 

Before Matt could even get back to him, he got a push notification on his Photogram, telling him that he had a new DM. 

**_@Koganepaints_ ** _ Uh, Hi. This is Keith...the guy who kissed you on the balcony on NYE. i dont know if you saw my videos, sorry if it was weird if you did...and sorry if this is weird, too. Um, i just wanted to find you...ask you out, if that was something youd be interested in. its totally okay if it isnt! i meant to catch your name and number that nite but you ran off so fast, i didnt get the chance. anyway, lmk if youre interest or even if youre not. Thank you for a really nice kiss  _

Shiro didn’t know how to respond. This was all...quite a bit. He was, well, flattered, sure. But the situation was kind of weird, too. He couldn’t imagine a world where he was that great of a kisser or that attractive, that someone would scour the internet looking for him. 

Keith was definitely sexy though. And the kiss had been nice…

Shiro sighed, placing his phone face down. He’d finish his lunch, wrap up his work, and then he’d get back to Keith with an answer. He at least had to let it sit for a while before he made a decision. 

With work wrapped up an hour later, he looked back at the message as he made his way back to his apartment. He sighed. This was some Hollywood bullshit, the kind of thing that only happened in movies. But he had been through so much shit...even if nothing came of a date, at least he could say that he’d done it. 

**_@T.Shiro_ ** _ Keith. Hi. Nice to have a name with the face. I’m honestly flattered that you went through all the effort to find me. I’d love to meet up for a date. Let me know time and place. It was my pleasure.  _

He was feeling mighty brave. But what did he have to lose? Worst case, he had a nice dinner, best case...maybe he started dating someone for the first time in years. The stakes felt low enough. It would be a calculated risk that he was up for. 

**_@Koganepaints_ ** _ oh, wow. thanks for getting back to me 😳 sorry that im reaching out in such a weird way, i just really wanted to find you and this was the only way i could think of. are you free on friday or saturday, say, 7? At geoffrey’s.  _

Shiro wasn’t expecting such a quick reply or to see the restaurant name. Geoffrey’s? That was...very high end. Well, at least he knew that he’d be getting a nice dinner and beautiful view out of this deal. 

**_@T.Shiro_ ** _ I’m free on Friday at 7. I’ll meet you there. Looking forward to it 😊 _

**_@Koganepaints_ ** _ perfect! its a date! see you there!  _

Shiro put the date in his calendar, biting his lip against a smile. 

This was absurd. These sorts of things didn’t happen. And even if they did...they didn’t happen to him. He laughed, disbelieving. He’d have to pull out his nice jacket for this. 

*************************************************************************************************************

Keith wasn’t sure what to expect on this date. And he was nervous. 

He’d made the reservation as soon as Takashi had agreed. He’d started referring to the guy as Takashi, because that was his name, but it felt weird, since he barely knew the guy. His profile also said “Shiro”, but Keith didn’t know if that was a nickname reserved for friends or loved ones. He’d ask him when they met, he decided, what he liked to be called. 

He’d checked out his Photogram and BirdApp, both of which were a conglomerate of workouts, pretty decent photography, and animal videos. He was really cute, from what Keith could tell, noting the surprisingly few but very tasteful selfies that showed a thousand watt smile and the most perfect dimples Keith had ever seen. 

The day seemed to go at a snail’s pace. Keith even managed to paint a piece and he  _ still  _ had five hours until dinner. He decided to go for a run with Kosmo, see if he could burn off some of his nervous energy. That wasted about an hour, then he showered, took his time picking out his clothes, and soon enough, it was time to leave. 

Keith arrived at the extravagant restaurant, waiting on the steps for his date. He was pretty early, so he was surprised to see Takashi hop out of an Uber with ten minutes left before their reservation. He was breathtaking. 

His white hair was swept back against his head, exposing the sharp features of his face. Keith wasn’t sure he’d seen anyone with cheekbones or lips like that. He was dressed in a tailored suit, the jacket was blue velvet, and the pants were black. He was even wearing a bowtie. The suit accentuated the powerful breadth of his shoulders and the slimness of his waist. 

Keith felt...sort of schlub-y in comparison. He had dressed in a pair of dark jeans that were intact, a dark pair of shoes, and a dark jacket. Lots of black, though the jacket was lined in red satin. He’d opted out of a tie though...and his hair was kind of a mess.

Takashi noticed him and lifted a hand in greeting. His hand looked...metal, which surprised Keith, not something he had noticed when they’d kissed, or paid much attention to on his Photogram. It didn’t detract from his handsomeness at all though. 

Keith was grateful for being able to see him in the bright lights just outside the restaurant, noticing details he hadn’t really seen on the dark balcony. The scar across his nose, was surprisingly roguish, and gave him a more masculine appearance, if that was even possible. 

“Keith, hi,” he said, his voice warmer and a little deeper than Keith remembered. Keith couldn’t help but smile. 

“Hi,” he replied, leaning in to buss Takashi's cheeks gently with his own, the lightest brush of skin. He smelt... _ amazing _ ...his cologne was woodsy and fesh, and as Keith pulled back, noticing his widened gray eyes, he saw how perfectly outlined they were in black eyeliner. An excellent cat eye. 

Takashi’s cheeks and the tips of his surprisingly large, adorable ears were pink and he smiled, revealing the beautiful dimples Keith had seen online.

“Sorry, sorry...I just…” Keith stuttered, catching on that he may have made Takashi uncomfortable, but he was shaking his head and laughing softly. 

“It’s fine, you’re fine,” he chuckled, “thank you for inviting me.”

Keith rubbed the back of his neck, shoving his other hand in his pocket. 

“It’s no problem. The least I can do, after New Year’s,” he replied, “you look, um,  _ really _ nice.”

Takashi only turned pinker, which was so cute and endearing, Keith didn’t want to look away from him. 

“Thanks. So do you.” 

Keith felt himself blush, surprised, not expecting a compliment, and smiled. 

“Thanks. You, wanna head in?”

“Sure, I’m ready.” 

Keith held out his hand for Takashi to go first and he did, bowing his head a little. Keith tried to stop himself from checking out the peek of his butt in his trousers as he walked up the stairs but he couldn’t help himself. 

How was it possible that this person existed? He was... _ perfect. _

They were seated at a corner table on the balcony of the restaurant, looking over the water. It was a little chilly here, but there was a heating lamp near the table, which was just enough to stave off the cold. 

Conversation was a little tough at first, but they found some common ground after the pleasantries were out of the way. 

Takashi preferred to go by Shiro. He was an event planner, which was why he was at the New Year’s Eve party. He was thirty-two, single, lived alone, had a cat, and liked motorcycles and fast cars. He surfed and did yoga and had been in a car accident in his early twenties that had left him with a prosthesis and scars. 

It was surprisingly easy to talk to him. He wasn’t expecting to feel like _ he  _ could open up either, talking about his art, his parents, his fast motorcycles and cars, his tattoos. 

Keith thought Shiro was attractive, but his personality was really the star of the show. It warmed Keith to see that Shiro felt comfortable with him, talking about so many personal things. They weren’t even drinking that much. Shiro was funny, with a dark sense of humor, a bit self-deprecating, though he was very genuine and kind. 

They stayed at the restaurant until closing, gently being informed by their server that they would need to leave. 

Keith offered Shiro his arm and he accepted, both of them chuckling as they left the restaurant. 

“Let me get you a cab,” Keith said as they waited on the curb. 

“Oh, no, please. It’s okay. You paid for dinner…” 

“It’s fine. Really. Allow me…”

Shiro was pink again and Keith’s belly filled with butterflies and his heart flip-flopped in his chest. 

“Can I kiss you?” Shiro asked, as Keith hailed a cab. 

He turned as a car pulled up, watching him with big eyes, and smiled, nodding. 

“Yeah.” 

Shiro leaned in and kissed him. It was a different kiss from New Year’s, deeper, warmer, with a lot more tongue. They pulled apart, since there was a cab waiting and Shiro smiled, chuckling. Keith couldn’t help but brush his thumb over one of his dimples.

“Text me,” Shiro said and Keith nodded, watching as he got into the cab. Shiro closed the cab door, holding up a hand and waving a little. Keith waved back, watching the cab as it rolled away. He pulled out his phone and immediately texted him. 

_ You [11:34:01PM] i had an amazing time tonight. when can i see you again? _

_ Shiro [11:34:35PM] I’m free all day tomorrow.  _

_ You [11:34:57PM] brunch sound good? _

_ Shiro [11:35:12PM] perfect 😉 _

*************************************************************************************************************

_ 1 year later… _

“For you, angel.” 

Shiro turned his head, accepting the champagne flute that was handed to him and smiled warmly at his boyfriend. Keith smiled back, coming around the couch to join him as they watched Times Square on the flat screen. 

“Thanks, baby.” 

Keith settled under his arm, humming happily, and Shiro kissed into his hair. It was longer now, tired back in a high ponytail, which Shiro thought was quite fetching on him. 

He wouldn’t believe that they had met a year ago today, sharing that balcony kiss. His life had changed so much in that time. 

He’d branched out and started his own event planning business, making cameo appearances in Keith’s painting videos, and the two of them eventually moving in together. A lot had changed in a year, but it had all felt positive. 

He didn’t feel stuck any more. He was happier with his job, with his relationships. With Keith. Someone who encouraged him to be the best version of himself that he could be. Who wanted to see him succeed and be happy. 

They’d decided to take nearly three weeks off, rented a cabin up North, just the two of them. It was snowing and their little cabin was warm and cozy, a fire blazing in the hearth. Kosmo and the cat were with them, curled up together in a corner of the living room. 

The countdown had started and Keith shifted so that they could face one another. 

“Happy New Year, love,” he murmured, gently clinking their glasses. 

Shiro couldn’t stop smiling, nuzzling Keith gently. 

“Happy New Year, sweetheart.” 

They kissed at the stroke of midnight, pulling away reluctantly. 

“I love you so much.” 

“I love  _ you _ so much.” 

Keith chuckled, pulling Shiro into a tight hug. 

“Here’s to another amazing year...together.” 


End file.
